By Sarah Cato
From robotic harvesters to more than 43 developed varieties, blackberry research is big in Arkansas, and it will all be on display at a June 10 field tour at the Fruit Research Station in Clarksville.
The annual Blackberry Field Tour, co-hosted by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association, will kick off at 1 p.m. with a blackberry taste test and a blackberry disorder demonstration, followed by presentations and a tour of the blackberry research being conducted at the Fruit Research Station operated by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
“We host this field day in partnership with the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association every year so we can give growers, industry professionals and researchers an up-close look at our ongoing research trials and the current developments of the breeding program,” said Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture production specialist for the Division of Agriculture. “We appreciate the opportunity to bring together growers from across the state to network, share ideas and taste blackberries developed in Arkansas.”